Death is the Last Enemy that shall be Destroyed
by Alayna Black
Summary: Harry ressurected those close to him who died. Now he must pay the price; destroy the veil, or eventually fade from life, leaving those he loved so much to bring back. non-canon resurrection stone. T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One. **

The 23 year old man raised a fist, bringing it down hard on the solid wood double doors. In the moments he had between knocking and the door opening, he relished how easy it had been to get inside the grounds. It had changed a lot in the five years that had passed since he had last been here. The gates were no longer enchanted, they did not ask for your purpose on arrival. The Manor had a much lighter appearance than before. The albino peacock still wandered the grounds, now looking lonely and old, yet it no longer looked sinister or as if it were an omen of anything inside - _a pale white man with red eyes_, perhaps the man thought as he remembered that night. The late august sun shone bright and warm across the grounds, the grass and hedges seeming freshly green and the flower beds spoke of colour and release.

"Can I help you?" an aged old woman came to the door, barely reaching Harry's chest in height, and peered up at him through her glasses. A golden chain acted as a loop from each end of the glasses, so that when removed, the pair would dangle from the woman's neck.

"I'm here to see Narcissa Malfoy." He said, looking directly down at the woman. If he had appeared to have been staring over her head and into the house, he was sure to have been refused entry.

"Is she aware that you would be visiting?"

"I believe not, yet I'm sure she would not say no to a quiet chat." He swallowed, and looked down from the corner of his eye at his fist, clenched around the wand that was in his pocked, and could still make out the faint scar from 8 years ago - _I must not tell lies_.

"And who should I say is calling?" She said, the same air in her voice, Harry recognised, as the Gringotts goblins sometimes spoke with, when they requested keys of their clients.

"Mr S Black, if you please." Harry said. The woman peered at him suspiciously, before leading him into the house, showing him to a room just off of the grand reception lobby. Harry nodded his thanks at the woman, before walking into the room, where he did not sit, but paced the width of the room anxiously until he heard footsteps arriving.

"Potter." a drawling, cold male voice said from the doorway. Harry heard the person close the door after they had entered, and he whirled around to meet them.

"Malfoy." It was the first time the two men had met since the Battle of Hogwarts, where Harry had saved his life - twice.

"What business is it that you have with my mother?" His expression was set in stone - one of arrogance, but it was mixed with the usual hint of boredom.

"I'm afraid I cannot discuss it with you. It's a matter of complete urgency though, I assure you, I would not be in your home if it were not."

A moment of tension seemed to echo between the two figures before they grinned at each other, moving towards the other and embracing.

"Good to see you, mate." Draco said when they broke apart.

"And you." Harry grinned. "But I really did come here to see your mum."

"Sit, sit!" Draco said, ushering Harry towards an elaborate couch on one side of the room. "can you tell me?"

Harry sighed - he knew Draco would still have asked.

"'Fraid not. Sirius sent me…obviously he cannot reveal himself to the world, even after all of these years."

"He's alive?" Draco said, sounding rather shocked. "But-the veil-Bellatrix said-"

"I'm aware of that, and I was there. But you know she didn't use Avada Kedavra."

"The veil, though…I've been there once-back when…anyway, it was the strangest thing I've seen to this day…"

"That's why I've come, actually." Harry said grimly, for he knew he shouldn't have mentioned it. "It's about…_everyone_…"

Draco nodded. "I'll go and get her for you."

"Cheers mate." Harry said, before leaning back on the sofa whilst Draco hurried from the room. He gazed around the room at the moving portraits, who were smiling and waving in his direction. It seemed even the Malfoy portraits, who had endured the lures of dark magic for decades, had welcomed the change. There was no sign, in this room at least, that they Malfoy's had had any involvement with Lord Voldemort at all.

"Ah, Harry. Wonderful to see you again!" Draco's mother's voice drifted into the room, shortly followed by her body. Her hair was still brilliantly blonde, but it was punctuated with streaks of platinum, and she looked older, as would be expected, yet she had aged well. "Draco said something about Sirius-"

"Mrs Malfoy, I'm very worried." Harry began. "I know you're the only one that can help" he paused. "Ever since I used the Hallows, the stone, to bring back mum and dad…Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, Fred…everyone…"

"You've been feeling off colour, under but also above the weather, angry, calm, confused…" She said, her words fading as she listed. "It's perfectly natural for someone who's done what you have. However," she paused, taking a slight breath, "I will talk to Lucius. It may be that due to his…background, he may know something about this Veil and the stone that others do not."

"Thank you, Narcissa…also, there's something else…"

"Ah, as I knew and expected. Go on" She smiled softly at him, encouraging him with a nod of her head.

"As you know, we've been living at number twelve. It's the safest place for us, bearing in mind the need to conceal certain existences." she nodded, and he continued. "it's been a concern of mine for years now, about the security of Azkaban prison, where the remaining death eaters are being held. When Ron, Hermione and I were on the run all those years ago, we stayed there for a good while, deciding what to do."

"Death eaters were stationed outside - different ones almost everyday?" Narcissa finished for him. "Yes, I understand your concern that they are aware of where it is now. But there is a new fidelius charm, is there not? A new secret keeper?"

"Yes, that is the case, but…Narcissa, what I am about to ask could be potentially dangerous…" Harry trailed off. "In the event of any…even vague reference to a mass breakout…I'm not exactly certain how the fidelius charm works, my dad sorted it out, and you know that Sirius is secret keeper, and Hermione's checked everything, but if there were to be a loophole concerning those brought back to life…"

"Harry, you know that my family and I are much in your debt. You and your family are the only ones who have accepted Lucius back into the…well, normal, wizarding world. I will do whatever."

"Then you would accept, if the time came to it?" she nodded. "There is a countless amount of protection that we can give Lucius, along with Draco and his family if the time came."

"I do not doubt you, Harry Potter." she smiled at him. "Now, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave…unless you wish to dine with us this evening?"

"Oh no, Narcissa." he shook his head. "I've already been longer than I thought I would, be, the others will be wondering where I am. Thanks for your help." he stood up, and she did too.

"The pleasure is all mine, Potter." she smiled again and the pair shook hands. It seemed almost awkward and strange, that after all these years, Harry was stood here shaking hands with the woman who had fearlessly declared him dead to Lord Voldemort, when he was not. Harry gave her one last nod, before turning on the spot, and apparating directly onto the top step of number twelve, Grimmauld Place.


	2. Chapter 2

_Yes, I am aware that James and Lily died age 21. Shhhh. _

**Chapter Two. **

He pushed the door open, and grinned at the now familiar appearance of Mad-Eye Moody's voice as he entered.

"I didn't kill you." Harry said, a sad smile on his lips as the figure that had spoken disappeared, and he walked down the corridor to the room at the end, where he heard voices. Pushing the door open, he found fewer there than he had expected. 5 year old Ted Lupin was sat with his mother at the table - she was showing him photo albums from years past. Harry saw the pictures of him that were there - he was, after all, the boy's godfather.

"Er…where is everyone?" Harry asked, looking around, slightly bewildered. His mum turned around fron where she had been stood at the kitchen counter, smiling lightly.

"Your father and Sirius are in the garden. Discussing what they believe are secret plans…"

"So not secret at all." Harry laughed.

"Remus has gone out already." Tonks said softly.

"Ah - I forgot it was tonight!" Harry exclaimed. "Any ideas-"

"Nope." She answered him before he had a chance to finish the question. "Ginny's gone to Ron and Hermione's for the afternoon." she glanced at the clock - It was extremely similar to the one that hung in Mr and Mrs Weasley's kitchen, in that it had a hand for each person constantly living in the house, yet the difference was that there was no 'mortal peril' option. There hadn't been even when it had been given to Harry and Ginny as a wedding gift four years ago. He hadn't thought to check if the one in the Weasley's house had removed the option or not. "As a matter of fact, she should be back soon."

"Alright." Harry looked out of the window through the gap between the two women's heads, before leaving the room to go to the back door, and out into the garden. It hadn't been here before, so it was clearly a new addition, perhaps conjured by the three marauders. From around the back of the houses at Grimmauld place, it seemed as though there were not enough room for a garden this size - if Harry didn't know better, he'd have thought it was a figment of his imagination, but having lived amongst wizards for over half of his life now, he knew it had been placed there using the same charm Mr Weasley used to make his old Ford Anglia larger on the outside than in.

Sirius and James, seeing Harry open the door, got up from where they had been sat at the garden table, rushing towards him.

"How did it go?" Sirius asked, urgently. He looked much younger than he had when he had been first living, all those years ago - even now, he did not look much older than James. It appeared that through death, both he and Lupin had been restored to the youth that had been living in James' skin - the three of them were the same age - yet they were only 25. Now that they were technically alive, they would age the same as a normal being. Harry had resurrected them four years ago, just before he and Ginny got married.

"Fine…she's going to talk to Lucius and see if he knows anything. I'm sure I'm missing something…" He frowned slightly, and he also was forced to squint his eyes fractionally. Although he and his father were much alike, Harry had not quite matched his father in height, and the sun was glaring into his eyes through the same circular glasses he had worn for years as he looked up at his dad.

"And what about…the other thing…" he said this quietly, for a reason Harry didn't understand. It appeared that James had not told Sirius about Harry's concern regarding Azkaban, yet it seemed strange to mention it when he was stood right next to him.

"Well, she said she would…but I still think maybe it would be better if there was someone else…"

"There is no one else." His dad said shortly. "Narcissa was more or less neutral through the whole thing. She was only a supporter of Voldemort because he was staying in their house." he pushed his own circular glasses up his nose where they had slid down. "She-"

"I know, she saved my life. But it was in return for my saving Draco…so what if-"

"She's not as black as she's painted."

Sirius laughed at this, but it wasn't a laugh to encourage contradiction to what James had said. "Anyway…we'd best be off out, Harry."

"Can't keep Moony waiting too long, he'll end up eating himself."

"You guys are unbelievable. I can't believe you still run around with him at-" he stopped talking as they were grinning at him. "What?" he stepped towards them out into the garden.

"Y'know, Prongs." Sirius said, thoughtfully. "I think your son's letting us down a bit here."

"You're not gonna Levicorpus me, are you?" Harry laughed slightly.

"Nah, that's for spec….ah. Well, still. No."

"Harry…come with us a minute." James and Sirius stepped past him into the house, and Harry followed as they led him through the house, up staircases before ending up in Sirius' room, James closing the door behind them.

"This normally takes years. But we've been working on this" Sirius had been rustling through his drawers, before producing a glass bottle, the sort usually associated with potions. "Bottled Animagus." he grinned.

Harry snorted. "Surely someone would have done it before if it was possible…"

"Harry, you forget that your Mum was the best at potions in our year - eventually the school in seventh year, obviously. Probably the world! Except for the obvious exception." James said, a strange glint in his eye when the subject of Snape was met again.

Harry took the bottle from Sirius, looking at the swirling contents it contained.

"Okay, you have to drink the whole lot."

Harry nodded, before gingerly uncorking the bottle, watching as a silver spiral rose from the top. He then put the bottle opening to his lips, where he drank down the potion.

Sirius and James watched him for a moment, as if waiting for something to happen.

"Try thinking." James said.

"I am bloody-"

"No, I mean. Think about wanting to transform."

A small frown creased Harry's forehead as he tried to think. He had a strange feeling as if this would be similar to Occlumency, and that he simply wouldn't manage it.

When nothing happened, James went to the door, opening it a crack.

"Lil! It's not working!" He called out.

"Throw him down the stairs!" Harry heard his mum call back up.

"I'll jump!" he said hastily.

"It wont work. 'You're a wizard, Harry'" his father said, almost mirroring Hagrid's voice as he said it. "You'll just land on your feet. Padfoot…you do it. I don't want to be responsible for my son's death." He grinned at Sirius, who laughed. Harry walked out onto the landing, Sirius standing just behind him, at his shoulder.

"Ready?" he asked Harry.

"N-" was all that he managed, before he was shoved hard on his back. He felt himself falling forwards, but instead of landing and bouncing down the stairs on his head, he felt his body transforming, and soon he was swooping through the air.

"Blimey!" Harry heard his father exclaim, before he flew back up to the top of the stairs, landing on the floor before turning back into himself. "Nomad."


	3. Chapter 3

**Short chapter, just to keep things moving a little. Plus I just want to enjoy everything a little before...well, leave me lovely comments and you may soon find out ;o) **

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**Chapter Three.**

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Sirius asked him, turning his head.

"Snowy owls are nomadic, idiot."

"Since when have you been into Care of-"

Harry gave a loud screech. Whilst James and Sirius had been talking, he had transformed again, thinking that he may as well become used to changing.

"Oh!" Sirius said, in a mock woman's voice. "I'm so proud! Hold me, James!"

"Get lost!" he replied, but they were both laughing as they watched Harry, in his Owl form, swooping down from the top of the stairs.

Harry swooped down in his owl form into the kitchen, where he saw Ginny sat at the table with Tonks. He landed neatly on the chair beside her, before transforming. She gave a shriek, not realising where he had came from.  
"Harry! What the…"

"Ah, Ginny." James said as he and Sirius walked into the room. "Welcome back." He grinned at the look of shock on her face. "It's alright, Harry's an animagus."

"Since when?"

Harry looked at the other clock, one that told the time. "About fifteen minutes ago."

"Right, Prongs, we'd better be off." Sirius said briskly, also looking at the clock. "We were supposed to be there 5 minutes ago, and I know wolves can't tell the time but…"

"Yeah alright Padfoot. We're off." James walked around the table to kiss Harry's mum goodbye, before he and Sirius disappeared from the room, and those in the kitchen heard the door close, followed by a faint sound as the two of them disapparated.

"It's sort of sad how they still call each other that." Lily said, smiling softly, before joining them at the table, sitting opposite Ginny and Harry. "So how is everyone?"

"Oh, well George is brilliant, as I would have thought, now he's got Fred back. They've been winding up Ron something terrible." Ginny laughed. "They've restarted their joke business and everything. Mum's going nuts, she reckons someone's going to realise that Fred is supposed to be dead."

"I don't think they'd care much, to be honest." Harry said, grinning. "when I was thirteen, I heard Madame Rosmerta talking about how dad and Sirius would have given them a run for their money in the way of mischief."

"Fred and George didn't go around hanging people upside down because they didn't like them though, did they?" Lily said, but there was a small smile on her lips.

"I did it to Ron." Harry said. Ginny, Lily and Tonks all looked at him. "What? I did it once, not knowing what the spell was. And well. He found it funny, anyway…Mum, don't look at me like that…"

"I'm not looking at you like anything. Not in a bad way anyway." she laughed "I was thinking about how much you really are like James."

"Oh!" Harry said, remembering Snape's last memories. "I found out-" he stopped when Ginny stepped on his foot under the table. "-why Petunia hated me."

"Yeah, but lets not talk about that, eh?" Ginny said, looking at Harry from the corner of her eye. "Anyway, Harry, Hermione's given me her Beedle book for you to look at. That's where the story of the Hallows is, so she thought there might be something in there to help. I've put it upstairs for now."

"Thanks, I'll go see her later to thank her." he nodded.

"Right! Come on Teddy. Bedtime." Tonks got up, waving her wand to get rid of the scrawls in felt tip on the table. Ted had been drawing on some plain paper that had been left inside one of the photo albums.

"Mummy I don't want to!" He said, his hair changing swiftly through the different colours.

"Tough, it's time for you to go to bed." She picked him up from his chair with ease, knowing by now that it was the only way to do it when he didn't want to go, and left from the room.

"Poor kid." Lily sighed slightly. "Doesn't know about Remus yet. I suppose he's realised by now that he doesn't return til morning once a month, but he knows that Uncle James and Sirius go out too, and that they're normally back."

"Yeah and who's fault is that?" Harry said, laughing slightly as he looked at his mum.

"I know you let him stay up too, Harry." she grinned. "Don't worry, I won't tell."

"Ha ha. You know you're really hilarious. Like, I can't even explain it. How did I grow up without that."

"You sound just like your father." she laughed. "seems like the only bit of me you got are the eyes. And actually, Slughorn mentioned-"

"Ah, no." Harry said, cutting her off. "Actually, I was using another potions book when I was miraculously good at it."

"Newt textbook?" She said, a curious look in her eye.

"Yeah, what's it, um…advanced potions or something."

"It didn't happen to have anything written in it?" Harry nodded when she said this. "Did you know who's it was? Or was it blind allegiance to this potions…master?"

"Goodnight, Harry." Ginny said hurriedly, and kissed his cheek. "Mrs Potter." she smiled at Lily and nodded, before disappearing from the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm just realising how short these chapters are...Well, I have up to chapter 5 written and promise after that they will be longer =]**

**Thanks to; animeangel088, _ginny lover-1, _mrsharrypotter28_, Forbes30618, _Darksoceress and _MoonfootLover; _for reviews, alerts and favourites. **

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Chapter Four.

"What was that all about?" Lily asked.

"Oh…Well it was blind allegiance to this person's notes….Ginny was a bit funny about it when it first happened, actually, because in my second year…."

He recounted to his mother the events of the Chamber of Secrets, and Riddles Diary - explaining how it was a Horcrux, and things of that manner. It occurred to him in pauses in his story, that he hadn't really spoken of the first four years of Hogwarts to his Mum and Dad. It was safe to assume that Sirius and Lupin would have told them of year 3, when Harry saved him from the Dementors, and that Sirius would have possibly mentioned the Triwizard tournament, but the first two years remain virtually unspoken of. It wasn't as if they didn't know, however. They had told Harry how proud they were of him, so this assured him that, in one way or another, they knew what happened anyway.

"Anyway." Harry said, after finishing his story and not giving his mother a chance to reply. "There's something I want to ask you. Dad wouldn't answer me."

She raised her eyebrow slightly "Alright…"

"You remember when I…um, resurrected you lot." she nodded. "Why is it that all of you, I mean Dad, Sirius and Lupin, were still all the same age. Even though the times of…death, were later…"

Lily smiled as Harry finished this, sounding slightly awkward.

"It's…I don't know how it works exactly, to be honest. But James did mention…well, when they were in their sixth year, I think, they worked out how to do this extremely complex charm properly…"

"Which did what?"

"Well, more or less, it meant whoever died first set an age. And then when the others died, they would return to that same age, too. I think I'm right in saying, that it was something in the bonds of friendship that made it stay in place all these years until Remus finally died. We saw Peter, shortly after his death. And he was as old as he had been on earth…"

Harry nodded, laughing slightly. "That's really smart. But-"

"Harry, I don't know why they did it. I can only guess that they wanted to all be the same age when they passed on. They couldn't exactly cause trouble in the afterlife if one of them was even 80 whilst another was in their twenties."

"I suppose it makes sense." Harry laughed. "But what about you?"

His mother smiled. "When I married your dad, he put a charm on the ring, which connected me to the charm too."

"So basically…he's a genius."

"I wouldn't go that far." she laughed "at least, don't let him hear that. God forbid his head should get any bigger."

"Mum…" Harry started, wondering how best to phrase the question, and wondering why he never thought to ask. "How did it feel? I mean, coming back from the dead and all…"

"I think it was different for everyone." she said, small frown lines on her forehead where she thought. "For me…it was like a weight lifting off my body. Like…being released from the body-bind curse. I think Sirius more or less floated back though. Because-"

"of the whole death-by-curtain thing?" Harry laughed, but shivered slightly from the memory of his godfather's face as he passed through the veil.

"He'll never live that down." Lily smiled. "It's a bit strange though. I mean…we're all practically the same age. But you're still my son. You and James almost look like twins."

"Yeah well…at least you won't muddle us up." Harry said grimly, thinking of the scar that remained on his forehead as it had been all of his life. "oh!" he suddenly exclaimed, putting a hand to his forehead. "I was meant to go and see Fred and George. Talk to them about…you know." His mother nodded. "I'll see you later."

Harry got up from where he had been sat, kissed his mother on her cheek before getting out to the front step, to apparate to Fred and George's.

They lived in the flat above their joke shop, magically enlarged to an extent where it was more or less a mansion. The hour was full of twists, turns, mirror walls to make you lose your way, fake doors, fake stairs, and so on. According to the twins, this was because some things in their house were potentially dangerous, and so there is no way that anyone who was underage could find rooms in their house - those of age had to apparate, which is exactly what Harry did, landing on a large armchair in one of their living rooms.

"Ah, Harry." Came Fred's voice. A leather chair turned in the corner behind an old desk that they kept in there. Harry rolled his eyes. This was a routine.

"We've been expecting you." George came walking out from behind a bookcase, swinging a pocket watch in his right hand.

"Yeah, right. We're not in the Victorian times anymore, and you're not in the mob, so can we get over this please…" Harry said, although grinning at the two of them as they continued playing their parts.

"Harry, welcome to Weasley manor. This is not an act." George attempted to keep a straight face, before the pair of them came to sit with Harry in close arm chairs.

"I'll repeat myself - yeah, right. How are you feeling, Fred?"

"Better than ever." He grinned with his response to Harry's question. "Except my hand keeps fading."

"Your hand what?"

Fred lifted his hand up from his side to show it looking rather translucent. Harry's eyes widened.

"What the…"

"And my foot, Harry, look!" George said, taking his foot from his slipper, it looking equally as translucent as Fred's hand.

"Stop messing around, guys." Harry laughed. The twins took off their invisibility gloves and socks.

"What gave it away?" Fred asked.

"George's foot. He's not the one back from the dead, remember?"

"Oh."

"Woops." George said. "All I wanted was a bit of the fun."

"I'm sure Teddy would find it amusing." Harry said, smiling fondly as he thought of his godson. "So I take it that everything's ok?"

"Yep. Absolutely fabulous old chum." Fred said happily.


	5. Chapter 5

**A quick thankyou again to everyone who's reviewing or even just reading this story. Makes it all seem worthwhile =] Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

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Chapter Five

There was a knocking on the front door of Number Twelve, Grimmauld place two days later. The man didn't look much older, the five years of age he gained seeming to have little to no effect on him. His hair still shone platinum blonde, like the rest of his family, his black cape falling to the floor from his broad shoulders. His masculine faced was a little more lined, emphasising what many now called 'sneer lines'.

"Mr Potter." he said in his Malfoy drawl. "Which- but of course." His eyes lingered on the man's empty forehead. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting lately."

"Luscious, was it? Larry…Luke…Lucretia…"

"Lucius." The Malfoy was not amused. "Mr Potter, I wish to see your son, if you're not too busy making…you call them jokes?"

James cleared his throat slightly before moving aside to let Lucius in. "Harry!" He shouted up the stairs "Some bloke here thinks he wants to talk to you." He pushed the front door closed, before walking off into a room on the right hand side of the entrance corridor, where he and Sirius had been busy planning. The sound of "That git!" could be heard after James' mutter, and before he closed the door completely.

"Oh, hi, Mr Malfoy." Harry said, coming down from where he had been in the drawing room up the stairs. "Shall we?"

"If we must." Lucius followed Harry into a downstairs study, looking around him at the damp walls with disgust before the door was closed. He was indicated a seat by Harry, and took it.

"So…can you help me?" there was a slight note of desperation in Harry's voice as he looked at the Malfoy.

"Well. There's a lot to say, Mr Potter. Are you quite sure I won't be overheard?"

"Perfectly, Mr Malfoy." he nodded some encouragement, and sat back in his chair as Malfoy told him all he knew.

It seemed that the veil in the department of mysteries was, as Harry had once thought, a pathway to death, to the afterlife. When a person dies by passing through it, it creates a bond between them and the one person who was in closest proximity who loved them the most. And, as it sickened Mr Malfoy to say, it seemed that Harry was once again the chosen one; this time by Sirius' bond.

"And what about everyone else?" Harry was thirsty for the information now.

"Patience, Mr Potter." Lucius said calmly, before continuing. He told Harry of dark magic; not simply the unforgivables but a deeper side of it. The killing curse is not as shallow as it seems. In Avada Kedavra lies a hidden depth - a bond, similar to that of the veil, but with many more links and complications. Harry's mother and father had died to save their families; this is their link to him. Remus and Nymphadora ("Tonks" Harry interjected) had died owing him something - in that he became Teddy's godfather and with that, guardian, after Nymphadora's parents. Fred hadn't died owing him anything, but as was previously said - there are complications and links. Because Harry used the resurrection stone to bring him back; so he must of meant something. In life, this brought the deep links of friendship between them - when he, Harry and his twin George had leapt on Draco Malfoy for badmouthing their families - the money given to Fred and George to start their joke shop, and so on.

This is the only way in which they could be brought back - to drain Harry's life.

Harry looked, stunned, at Lucius as he concluded his information.

"Now if you will excuse me, Mr Potter, I have to be elsewhere." Lucius began to get up from his seat.

"Stop." Harry said. His face was still white, and scared. "How do I stop it?"

"Destroy the veil." Lucius said, as if it was as simple as walking a dog. "It will destroy the difference between life and death. Those behind it will be trapped. Those on our side, will remain."

"How long for?"

"That is up to you. It's deep magic, Mr Potter, I wouldn't expect you to under-"

"Try me" the words came from Harry's mouth a little harsher than intended, but it made Lucius stop to really talk to him.

"When you destroy the veil, you have to think. You have to decide. It can cause immortality, or death in five minutes. It's harder if you want it anywhere in between. You don't get a second chance. I know what I would choose. "

Harry got up from behind his desk, to open the door. "Thank you, Mr Malfoy."

"Anytime, Potter." He left the room and consecutively the house, swiftly, without a second glance at any person or object.

Harry's face must have remained unicorn white, as when he entered the room where his Father and Godfather sat, they both stopped talking and looked at him with concern.

"Harry?" James asked. "What's up?"

"I…" He started, but the words wouldn't come out. He closed his mouth quickly, before closing the door and going to sit down with the pair of them.

"No." James said, once Harry had finished speaking. Sirius continued frowning, and this must have distracted James from his thoughts as he said irritably, "Stop doing that, Pads, I can almost hear your brain working and you might hurt yourself."

"I have to." Harry said, although if he was completely honest with himself, he wasn't too happy about the prospect of going back to the Department of Mysteries.

"He's right." Sirius offered. "But Harry, I think we should come with you." He looked at James quickly. "Just in case."

"I suppose." Harry agreed grudgingly. He would need some sort of back up in the event of any uncaptured Death Eaters turning up. "Although to be honest I'm not sure the Death Eaters would have trouble picking off The Boy Who Lived and two dead guys."

"We'll call Remus-"

"Alright, three dead guys. We're going to need more than that."


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry this has been such a long time coming! I hope you enjoy it, I would love to hear your views on it, especially as the next chapter is a biggie and it would spur me on to post =] **

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"Let's go over this one more time." Sirius said, now pacing the drawing room on the second floor. "We go in, spend a little time deliberating over which door it is and marking them as we open them."

"Which brings us to the veil," Harry sid, briefly remembering the brain room with an odd shudder.

"Aka the curtain of death" James said, grinning slightly. Sirius only rolled his eyes, before giving a response.

"Just because you got to be killed by Voldemort, you think you have the upper hand, but you are very much mistaken, Prongsie."

"I still don't understand why I have to come." Ron said miserably from his seat on top of a desk. "I spent 7 years helping you out Harry, give a guy a break."

"You'll love it when you're there, Ron. You'd hate it if you got left out, besides-"

"If you don't shut up," James continued, cutting his son off, "we'll push you through that curtain when we get there."

"Not exactly what I was going to say, Dad..."

The Four men sat in that room for hours, going over every detail of the plan, working out what time different people were to arrive, how they were to be summoned in case of danger and so on. Seven in the evening came and went, with Ginny delivering a plate of food she and Lily had prepared for them, and they finally agreed that sleep was needed around two in the morning. Harry sleepily climbed the stairs to the room he and Ginny were using, undressing to his boxers before getting quietly into bed beside his wife. He kissed her forehead softly before settling down to sleep. In her sleep, Ginny must have felt his presence as she rolled over, putting her arm softly over his waist and Harry smiled to himself before drifting to a dreamless sleep.

As James crept quietly through the house to his room with Lily, Sirius sighed and made his way down to the kitchen to pour himself some coffee. Photographs were still scattered across the table and he sat down, starting to look through them. He found many of himself with James, Remus and Peter, and smiled as he remembered many of the good times they shared. As he continued looking, a feeling of overwhelming sadness took over his mind. There was picture after picture of Lily and James, Remus and Tonks. He briefly remembered his girl, but there were no pictures. There wouldn't be, since she was incredibly camera shy and there had only been one picture of himself with her, and he had no idea what had become of it. His heart ached momentarily as he remembered the day she died. He had sworn he would never love again, and he hadn't, but the loneliness often set in at times like this.

The next few days left James and Sirius rather on edge, but they were the only ones. The prospect of

the veil being destroyed was exciting to a handful (namely Fred and George), and Remus and Tonks

seemed to be too wrapped up in raising their son to really worry. The truth was, the task at hand was

a dangerous one, and the complications and consequences would be great were something to go

wrong. As for Harry, well, he too was worried, and for similar reasons. He, however, had another,

much larger weight to carry - the thought that in a few days time, he would effectively be playing

God. Decide on immortality and all those raised would live forever, past the loved ones that so

wanted them to return. When he had voiced this concern to his Mum, Lily had suggested

that this may well be a fate worse than death, since rather than being alone in the afterlife, they

would be alone on earth. Harry had admitted that she was probably right, however there was

another pressing, unvoiced issue troubling him. He had just been about to ask his Dad about this

particular problem however when he saw James and Sirius playing wizards chess, both clearly

enjoying having the other back, Harry lost the heart to do it.

Soon, however, the day was upon them. Harry had kept his other issue to himself, and a nervous feeling dropped into his stomach as he realised that his questions would in fact be answered in only a few short hours. Those accompanying Harry to the Ministry gathered at Grimmauld Place that afternoon, all sitting down to a delicious feast cooked up by Molly Weasley. Harry grinned as she made herself busy around the kitchen, fussing over everybody, and he wasn't at all surprised when Fred got given almost three time as much food on his plate than George. The latter, quite untrue to character, did not protest, and the way his face lacked all colour seemed to speak for him.

They soon retired to the drawing room one last time, to double check plans. "Right." James said, getting up from his seat on the desk. "Remus, you're at the entrance." the named man nodded, and James continued. "Fred, George…actually, no, Kingsley's going to do that, you two patrol the main floor, checking fireplaces, anything you can think of, anywhere they could get in." the twins nodded, Fred looking excited at the prospect of finding all of the secret passages in the Ministry, and George silently pleased that they weren't going to be anywhere Fred could, well, die. "Ron, Bill, you two on the Department of Mysteries floor. You know what to do?" He looked around at the two red-haired men. "Right and- well, we know what we're-ok, lets go."

The eight men set off shortly after that, after checking they all had wands and checking that the alert system James and Sirius had devised was working and correct. They said goodbye to Remus at the Ministry's entrance, leaving Fred and George shortly after. A few of the Ministry workers said hello to Harry and Ron, and those same workers looked simply astounded at the reappearance of James Potter and Sirius Black. Soon, the remaining five reached the Department of Mysteries. They all paused as they reached the door.

"Right." Harry nodded, a lump forming in his throat and he almost laughed at this, after all he'd been through he was extremely worried about destroying an old curtain. "See you later." _Hopefully, _he added to himself, before proceeding through the door in front of them with James and Sirius.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello!! I'm back, aaaand so here's another chapter! There's only one more after this at the moment, but I might write an epilogue orr just extend it by two or something, I have some serious re-reading to do! And also redrafting of one of my other stories on here. Anyway - to those of you that will read this, I hope you enjoy it. **

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"Wow," James mused, moving towards the veil slowly to look closer, only stopping when Sirius held out a hand to grab his arm. "It's so…" he tilted his head slightly, trying to wrestle his arm from Sirius' grip.

Harry watched them for a while, before beginning to pace the room, deciding what the best way to act would be. He walked towards the stone arch slowly, still keeping half an eye on Sirius and his father, who were now watching him. Harry reached out a hand, running it slowly over the rough stone, watching the material swaying in the non-existent wind.

"I think…" he started, frowning slightly, and the two men with him looked up. "You two need to leave." He said, louder this time, and with a note of finality in his voice.

"No." James said.

"Not a chance." Sirius added, and Harry had the feeling that they didn't quite understand the seriousness of the situation.

"You have to. If you stay here…Look," Harry said, "When I do this, shadows…well, imprints will come out of there, and if you're still here, then they'll take you back." he finished, not wanting to explain it completely. The two men looked at each other as though trying to decide how much Harry's words were worth, and when James gave a slight jerk of his head, Sirius turned to Harry.

"Ok." he said, though looking thoroughly disappointed and annoyed about the decision. Harry gave them both a rather apologetic look for leading them so far only to turn them away, and the two men turned from him, leaving the room, only to find themselves face to face with around a dozen masked men, towering and draped in black robes.

The fear that would usually come with being presented with such people held off, and James and Sirius simply started grinning, whipping out their wands in what must have been under a second, beginning to hurl curses and hexes at the Death Eaters, who were putting up a rather difficult fight. Harry almost smiled to himself as he heard the commotion outside, finding it difficult to resist joining them. _Fight first, ask questions later, as always._

The fight began to slow, however. The two dead men became weaker as time passed, their spells hitting at a shorter range. They were almost cornered but at that point, five tall men with wands entered the room, sending death eaters flying for cover.

"Just like old times, ey Remus!" Sirius shouted over the noise as the fight resumed with renewed ferocity, and slowly, one by one, the Death Eaters fell, until it was seven on one. James laughed, lowering his wand and Sirius and Remus did the same. Slowly, the others noticed this and lowered their wands also, the remaining death eater appearing confused at the halt in duelling.

"Couldn't do it to you, Pete." James said, sounding friendly but with an altogether unpleasant tone in his voice. "Despite the fact that you sold me out to your mate Voldy. Oh, that's right, you did." He said, in a tone of mocking realisation, disarming the man and advancing on him slightly. Bill and Ron looked slightly worried about the outcome of this battle, however Fred and George had become rather distracted and were laughing and joking on the other side of the room, sometimes stopping to kick one of the out-cold death eaters.

"This is cozy." Sirius added, "just us Marauders, together again." his voice could have been mistaken for nostalgic had his face not been contorted with hatred and fury. "_Sectumsempra_" he hissed, and in a flash Peter was bleeding, cowering on the floor.

"Please…Remus…don't let them…please…" he sounded as though he were sobbing, but Remus simply frowned at him.

"How did you do it?" he asked, a frown on his face and he stepped forwards of James and Sirius, who had their wands directed at Pettigrew's heart.

"How did you come back?" He knelt closer to the man, slowly taking in his age in large contrast to his, and that of James and Sirius.

"That would be telling," Peter, the sobbing gone from his voice now. "I knew you would do this, Lupin," he hissed, "just too easy." He reached out with his silver hand and his wand flew to it, and he held it to Remus' throat.

"One more move, Wormtail," James snarled, "and we won't hesitate."

"No," Sirius said, an odd glint in his eye. "Keep him there, one second…" he frowned but began to grin all the same, moving to the door behind which Harry would be destroying the veil. He listened closely. "Bring him here." With a flick of his wand, Peter was against the wall, still bleeding profusely, and James dragged him along it to the door by which Sirius stood. Remus got up from where he had been kneeling, moving back towards where Ron and Bill were stood, unable to judge what his friends would do next.

Sirius opened the door, heart hammering in his chest in case his plan went wrong, and James pushed Peter roughly through it, the door slamming shut behind him as though being sucked by a fierce wind.

"And now we wait." Sirius said grimly, moving to where the others were stood, eyeing the Death eaters with dislike.

Harry stood, rooted to the ground in an effort to stay standing in the hurricane that swept the room. The veil was now apparently being ripped to shreds, tearing where it had been attached to the stone arch. Thousands of ghosts swirled around him, a blinding light shining from the tears in the veil, illuminating every inch of the room. He didn't hear the door open, but knew now there was another in the room. Peter Pettigrew's eyes grew wide in horror at what he saw, clearly having hoped to have had the chance to stop Harry, and there was little chance for him to speak even then.

The grey Peter and the ghosts of several others whom Harry did not know advanced on the human, hands changing to bones as they gripped the human Peter's arms. He let out a terrible scream, blinding light now shining from the wounds Sirius' curse had created in him, and it was almost as though his flesh was being ripped from his bones, which were crumbling to dust. Harry forced himself to concentrate on what he was supposed to be doing rather than to look at Pettigrew, and made a few more movements with his wand, and eventually, all was silent.


	8. Chapter 8

**Finally, here is your last chapter! I am SO incredibly sorry it's taken so long - I completely forgot I even wrote this! Anyway, this is the end. It's also very short, for some reason I can't explain since I wrote it months ago. Hopefully I will find the time to re-write this eventually, and sort it out! **

**Much love to everyone that's read this, and whoever will read this final chapter. **

**Alayna**

**x**

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"Harry?" James whispered, kneeling at his Son's side in the veil room. Ron was leant against one of the stone walls, listening to Fred and George's whispered jokes. Bill and Remus were now studying the empty arch, the former nervously reaching out to pass a hand through the empty gap as though to test it, and found himself still very much alive and in the room. Fred and George noticed this, and so left Ron and began joking around, pushing each other under the arch, the one pushed usually feigning death in one comic way or another.

"Harry?" James repeated, watching his son nervously, Sirius knelt on his other side. Harry's green eyes opened slowly behind his glasses, and the two men moved back as he sat up.

"Why didn't you kill him?" Harry asked. The two men were slightly taken aback, as though they hadn't expected this question in the slightest.

"Well, I would've, except Padfoot over here had a better idea…" James replied, looking to Sirius as though he might explain why he didn't let James kill him.

"Er, well, Harry, I just thought, remembered what you said in your third year at school." he looked slightly awkward, but Harry nodded in understanding. James however, looked clueless, and neither Harry or Sirius felt like enlightening him.

"So it's done then?" James asked, when no one told him what was going on.

"Well," Harry said, laughing as he indicated Fred and George still pretending to die as they walked under the arch, "I think that's evidence enough."

After much effort being made to drag the twins away from what they considered very amusing fun, the group made their way back to Grimmauld Place, the death eaters who had attacked now safely in Azkaban, or as they were surprised to learn, St Mungo's. Apparently some of the spells James and Sirius had used were much more damaging than they had let on.

Lily looked up nervously as she heard the front door open, and hushed voices carrying through the hall. Eventually, James and Sirius entered the living room where she had been dozing in an armchair.

"Everyone else went to visit families and such," James sighed, "and poor ol' padfoot had nowhere to go." he winced slightly as Sirius punched his arm, before leaving to find food in the kitchen.

"So everything's…done?" she asked, uncertain as to whether this was the best question to ask or not.

"Well, Harry had to turn us into vampires so we would survive." he said, grinning and moving suddenly towards her neck. Lily let out a shriek before starting to laugh as James kissed her neck softly, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her close.

"Well what really happened," Sirius said loudly on entering the room. "If you'd care to listen before you get a bloody room," he added. James and Lily looked over at him, where he was leant against the doorframe eating a lump of cheese. "We just live until we die normally, now. Shame…" he sighed, "I'm going to miss that curtain."

"Ok, Sirius, we get it…" Lily laughed, "Now run along and find some friends, we've got a lifetime of…well," she smiled again as James began kissing her lips this time. Sirius just rolled his eyes and left the room.

"Harry!" Ginny shrieked, getting up from her seat in the kitchen back at their new house. It was barely lived in, since they had been spending most time over at Grimmauld place lately. Harry said nothing, but closed the door behind him, and moving to pull Ginny into a close embrace. "Are you ok?" she breathed, running a hand through his hair and breathing in his scent, that she had been so afraid never to smell again. He merely nodded, moving back slightly from the embrace to cup her face in his hands, kissing her softly. How he had feared this moment would never come, he had thought, as he and his lover enjoyed their reunion.

It is odd to think that after 17 years of not knowing who your parents are, who they were, a sudden reunion an occur. Such objects to bring back the dead are incredibly rare and are, as always, not to be messed with.


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